R4W

"InWorld" opens next weekend!

2011-11-18T20:51:00.001-08:00

InWorld

Roles 4 Women Theatre Company is proud to present the first show of its inaugural season - Liz Solo's multi-reality performance piece “InWorld”, live at the LSPU Hall Second Space,Thursday November 24 to Sunday November 27 at 8:30 PM.

A stand up comedienne has given up “the life” and taken to gaming full time. She now lives alone with her puppets and spends her days reliving old comedy routines and leveling her Frost Mage. Merging large-scale projection with live action, video and sound, InWorld is a multi-dimensional exploration of online media culture.

Created by and Starring Liz Solo. Directed by Charlie Tomlinson. Featuring online appearances by members of The Third Faction, Odyssey and The Second Front and puppet appearances by Newf the Baby Harp Seal and Pinky the Bra. Sunday night’s performance will be followed by an Artist's Talk.

One-act comedy/drama. Mature themes and language. 45 minutes.
Tickets $10 (except: Thursday's Preview show is PWYC)

Tickets available only at the door.

poster by Jimmy Rose

"In-World" coming in November

2011-10-22T11:23:00.000-07:00

Roles 4 Women Theatre Company - in collaboration with the Black Bag Media Collective are preparing for our first production of the season - "In-World" by Liz Solo, directed by Charlie Tomlinson premieres at the end of November at the LSPU Hall Second Space.

A stand up comedienne has given up “the life” and taken to gaming full time. She now lives alone with her puppets and spends her days reliving old comedy routines and levelling her Frost Mage. Merging large-scale projection with live action, video and sound, In-World is a multi-dimensional exploration of online media culture.

Starring Liz Solo and featuring online appearances by The Third Faction, members of Odyssey and The Second Front and puppet appearances by Newf the Baby Harp Seal and Pinky the Bra. Stay tuned for details coming soon.

Publicity photo of Liz Solo and Newf, the baby Harp Seal by Rhonda Pelley

Liz Solo wins Newfoundland Joy Award

2011-10-22T11:11:00.000-07:00

Roles 4 Women would like to congratulate co-artistic director Liz Solo for winning this years Newfoundland Joy Award at the Atlantic Film Festival. The prize provides support towards the production of Liz Solo's multi-media project "the machine".

"'the machine' represents a new generation of media arts production and makes use of extremely current creative techniques like machinima, which have grown out of contemporary virtual art movements" - the Linda Joy Media Arts Society said in a release. Read more about it on the Linda Joy Website.

The project goes into production early in 2012.

photo from the virtual set of "the machine" by Fau Ferdinand

A Reading of "Melody Neglected"

2010-05-07T15:36:00.000-07:00

Amy House (RCA Artistic Animateur), Megan Coles, Emily Bridger, Colin Furlong, Geraldine Hollett, Liz Solo, Nicole Rousseau, Neil Butler, Didi Gillard-Rowlings. photo by Peter Rompkey.

This month Resource Center for the Arts hosted a live reading of Liz Solo's Melody Neglected in the newly opened LSPU Hall Second Space. Melody Neglected is a full length script that has been developed both through Roles 4 Women Theatre Company and Resource Center for the Arts Theatre Company. After one little polish this script is ready for production.

Roles 4 Women love the new Hall! It is, as always, an excellent space for making theatre and it was very exciting to present new work there. Pictured above: Amy House - RCA Artistic Animateur - welcoming audience, with actors getting ready to rock.

World Theatre Day Message

2010-04-26T18:56:00.000-07:00

This year's World Theatre Day Message 2010

by Judi Dench:

World Theatre Day is an opportunity to celebrate Theatre in all its myriad forms. Theatre is a source of entertainment and inspiration and has the ability to unify the many diverse cultures and peoples that exist throughout the world. But theatre is more than that and also provides opportunities to educate and inform.

Theatre is performed throughout the world and not always in a traditional theatre setting. Performances can occur in a small village in Africa, next to a mountain in Armenia, on a tiny island in the Pacific. All it needs is a space and an audience. Theatre has the ability to make us smile, to make us cry, but should also make us think and reflect.

Theatre comes about through team work. Actors are the people who are seen, but there is an amazing set of people who are not seen. They are equally as important as the actors and their differing and specialist skills make it possible for a production to take place. They too must share in any triumphs and successes that may hopefully occur.

March 27 is always the official World Theatre Day. In many ways every day should be considered a theatre day, as we have a responsibility to continue the tradition to entertain, to educate and to enlighten our audiences, without whom we couldn’t exist.

R4W in 2010

2010-04-05T12:56:00.000-07:00

After a fabulous whirlwind year in 2009 Roles 4 Women have a busy 2010 planned, from a full production of Jenny's Naish's Ersa, (in collaboration with the Open Actor's Studio), to the development of three new performance art projects to a new Open House for Women Playwrights coming up in the Summer of 2010. We are stoked. R4W will be making an appearance at the upcoming Chromatose Anymation Festival - April 30th to May 2nd in St John's.

Thanks to all of those who participated in our programs over the last year - Shout Out to our super talented Script Development Program participants - Megan Coles, Bryan Hennessey, Melanie Caines, Luke Major, Anne Troake, Bridget Wareham, Marthe Bernard, Phil Churchill, Jody Richardson and Roger Maunder.
Pictured above - Curtain Call, (left to right) Melanie Caines, Bridget Wareham, Jenny Naish, Luke Major, Liz Solo, Bryan Hennessey at Scenes From..The Ship

photo by Jai Me.

Roles 4 Women Theatre Company gratefully acknowledges the support of the:

The Battery

2010-04-05T12:34:00.000-07:00

Roles 4 Women were thrilled to work with the playwright Megan Coles during our 2009 Development Project. During that process we worked on two new plays by Megan - The Battery and Bound. Both plays went through a workshop process and then scenes from The Battery were presented as part of our 2009 Scenes From.. show at the Ship. Bridget Wareham, Luke Major, Bryan Hennessey and Liz Solo starred.

R4W Theatre Company is proud to have been a part of the development of these sharp, hard hitting new scripts by Megan Coles and we look forward to working together with this talented young playwright again soon.

Scenes From... The Ship featured scenes from three of the plays developed through our annual Script Developmental Program. Each scene was staged in a different part of the venue and consciously framed within the context of the Ship Pub.

Bridget Wareham as Karen - Goddess of the Bar
Bryan Hennessey as Bruce and Luke Major as Josh.
It gets late. AC/DC comes on the stereo. Bruce and Marilyn get a little out of hand.
Marilyn gets an unwanted call.Karen has something to say.

photos by Jai Me.

Roles 4 Women Theatre Company gratefully acknowledges the support of the:

Ersa

2010-04-05T12:25:00.001-07:00

Roles 4 Women are currently collaborating with the Open Actor's Studio on the development and production of Jenny Naish's feature length play Ersa.

As part of R4W's annual Script Development Program Jenny worked one-on-one with choreographer Anne Troake and presented some of the results at our Scenes From... performance. She was joined by Bryan Hennessey.

Jenny Naish as Ersa.
Jenny Naish as Ersa and Bryan Hennessey as Customer.
Bryan Hennessey as Customer.

photos by Jai Me.

Roles 4 Women Theatre Company gratefully acknowledges the support of the:

Valentine

2010-04-05T11:52:00.000-07:00

Valentine is one of a series of short plays by Liz Solo currently in development at Roles 4 Women Theatre Company.

Valentine is a piece about three women bound together by a common history and by one very big, very dark secret. Bridget Wareham (Billie), Melanie Caines (Evren) and Liz Solo (Pheobe Jane) performed a scene from Valentine as part of the Scenes from.. performance at the Ship in December 2009.

A character from Jenny Naish's Ersa serves the characters from Valentine their third bottle of red wine.
Billie, Evren and Phoebe Jane commiserate over wine and reminisce about their evil deeds.photos by Jai Me.

Roles 4 Women Theatre Company gratefully acknowledges the support of the:

Scenes from Roles 4 Women

2009-12-15T13:22:00.001-08:00

Saturday December 19th
The Ship
9 PM/$5 at the door
Scenes from Roles 4 Women with Melanie Caines, Bridget Wareham, Luke Major, Bryan Hennessey, Jenny Naish, Liz Solo and the voice of Roger Maunder. Featuring new work from Megan Coles, Jennifer Naish and Liz Solo.

About Scenes from Roles 4 Women
December 14 through to December 21st is National Roles for Women Week! Roles 4 Women Theatre Company has been working through the Fall on the development of new plays by three women playwrights - Jenny Naish, Liz Solo and Megan Coles. As part of this project and in celebration of Roles for Women Week the company will stage scenes from three brand new works on Saturday December 19th at the Ship at 9 PM. Featuring scenes from:

Megan Coles' "The Battery"
starring Bridget Wareham, Luke Major, Bryan Hennessey, Liz Solo and the voice of Roger Maunder
Liz Solo's "Valentine"
starring Melanie Caines, Bridget Wareham and Liz Solo
Jenny Naish's "Ersa"
starring Jenny Naish and Bryan Hennessey with the Waitress Dancers, movement direction by by Anne Troake.

This project made possible with the support of the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council

Megan Coles' "The Battery"

2009-09-08T12:58:00.000-07:00

Roles 4 Women is preparing for this year's Script Development Project and are very excited to announce that playwright Megan Coles joins Liz Solo and Jen Skywalker in the development of three new works.

Megan will be developing her new two act play The Battery. Liz will be working on adapting new fiction for stage in Housewife and Damage. Jen Skywalker's much anticipated Ersa will go through choreography and re-writes.

Stay tuned here for news of presentations from this workshop process. Thanks to all who submitted and inquired about this project. We will be offering it again next year.

Call for Submissions

2009-07-06T20:23:00.001-07:00

Roles 4 Women Theatre Company is pleased to announce a Call for Submissions to this year's R4W Script Development Workshop. We invite submissions of new full length theatre scripts from women playwrights. Plays may be submitted in any stage of development as long as they feature strong roles for women.

The workshop process will involve facilitated sessions with actors and a paid month long writing period. The workshop sessions will culminate in a live performance of excerpts from each of three new plays.

Please submit one copy of the work to be developed along with any credentials (C.V. or resume) to:
Roles 4 Women
P.O. Box 2383, Station C
St. John's, NL
A1C 6E7

You are also welcome to make your submission via e-mail, (preferably in PDF format), to:
roles4women@gmail.com

Exact dates to be determined but workshops will be happening during the months of August and September 2009.
Feel free to Email for more info

DEADLINE for Submission is: Friday, July 31, 2009

This year's Script Development Series made possible by the generous support of the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council

"Machine" receives Dramatic Script Award

2009-07-06T20:17:00.000-07:00

Liz Solo's new screenplay Machine , developed through Roles 4 Women 2008 Script Development Workshops, receives the Best Dramatic Script Award at this year's Newfoundland and Labrador Arts and Letters Competition. The other award recipient in this category was Wanda Nolan.

Read an excerpt from the script here: "Machine" Excerpt

photo from Second Front performance of Large Hardon Collider.

R4W at "Zoom In On Girls"

2009-04-30T10:43:00.000-07:00

Liz Solo and Jen Skywalker are off to Halifax in May to attend the Atlantic regional Zoom In On Girls event - a gathering of individuals and organizations who work with girls and young women. The Zoom events focus on issues related to young women. Participants are invited to share their experiences and knowledge while exploring action strategies. We look forward to meeting and sharing our work with other women from around the Atlantic provinces.

This event was generated by the Girls Action Foundation. R4W members have been working with this wonderful organization since 2006. Please visit their website to find out more their work.

from Girls Action Website
"Fondation filles d’action - Girls Action Foundation is a national charitable organization that inspires and supports the empowerment, leadership and healthy development of girls across Canada. Grounded in research and girls’ realities, our innovative programs address: violence prevention, community engagement, media literacy education, health promotion, anti-racism and healthy sexuality. Our programs combine creative expression, knowledge and skill building activities, mentorship, community action and fun. Through local girls' programs and the national network, Girls Action works to raise awareness and mobilize action towards the elimination of violence and discrimination.

At Girls Action we believe that every girl should have what she needs to participate fully in society. Our activities create opportunities for girls and young women to build their strength, discover their power and gain the confidence they need to bring their gifts to the world. Building a movement of active, engaged young women and organizations across Canada, we envision a new generation committed to creating a just and peaceful world."

Miss You

2009-04-01T14:09:00.000-07:00

These photos are of Liz and Jen on the set of Liz's upcoming virtual theatre performance Live Home Alien Birth, taking place at the Alternator Gallery in Kelowna, BC on Saturday April 11th at 8 PM. Special appearances by Second Front and Avatar Orchestra Metaverse.

The large blue sphere is from a virtual installation from Liz Solo's project - Methods For Contacting the Dead. Images appeared in a group show at Lucky's Gallery, Vancouver, curated by Jo Cook. To see more about this work please visit Liz Solo's Machine I Am Blog

The blue sphere is actually a little shrine to the two Grand Dames of the Newfoundland Theatre - Janis Spence and Mercedes Barry - ever loved and never forgotten. Individually, Janis and Mercedes were each pioneers of live original theatre and of feminist theatre in Newfoundland, inspiring thousand with their powerful voices as actors, playwrights, mentors, directors and writers. When they worked together they were an awesome force to be reckoned with, as anyone who saw their productions of Dario Fo and Franco Rama's Female Parts or any of their original work with Resource Center for the Arts and Sheila's Brush Theatre Companys can attest. Roles 4 Women draw inspiration and strength from the memory of their work and example.

In the virtual world of Second Life our avatars visit the memory sphere, called "Miss You", and sit inside the shrine to reflect. "Miss You" is installed on Odyssey Island in Second Life

Photo of Janis Spence and Mercedes Barry by Kent Barrett.
Build in Second Life by Liz Solo.

Exploring the Fairy Tale

2009-03-31T15:13:00.000-07:00

Roles 4 Women are working with the idea of the Modern Fairy Tale as a theme for the next series of Experiments in Performance events, coming up in the Spring.
Recently, during one very meditative afternoon, Liz and Jen play with a storyline idea inside of a virtual garden in Second Life.

Reject Room Archives II

2009-03-31T14:22:00.000-07:00

Here are some images from our Experiments in Performance presentation at the Reject Room in 2008. For this event artists presented readings from new and experimental work. Featured work by Liz Solo, Vanessa Mary Wade, Anthony Brenton and John C. Goodman.

Welcoming Table.

Liz Solo reads from her published piece The House is Their Cage, (T.O.F.U. Magazine).

Blurry Anthony.

The crowd gets rowdy!

Settling down to Anthony.

Happy after show crowd.

Happy Liz and Jen with happy guys.

Experiments in Performance at the Reject Room is a collaboration between R4W, the i am coop project and the Rock Can Roll Media Collective

Reject Room Archives I

2009-03-31T13:58:00.000-07:00

We have just found a disc with some more images from some of our Reject Room presentations of the Experiments in Performance Series. The performances took place both live at the Reject Room and live inside the virtual replica of the Reject Room built on Odyssey Island in Second Life
The lovely Jen Skywalker prepares to greet guests.

As Liz Solo sets up the tech.

Liz welcomes the real life and the virtual audiences.

Roles 4 Women friend and guest artist Anthony Brenton reads from new work. Anthony released a new chapbook at this event "Daybreak Saint City" now available from Trainwreck Press

Shot of the screen, virtual Liz Solo and virtual Jen Skywalker watch real and virtual Anthony perform in virtual space.

Experiments in Performance at the Reject Room is a collaboration between R4W, the i am coop projectand the Rock Can Roll Media Collective

Melody Neglected at RCA

2009-03-31T13:37:00.000-07:00

Liz Solo's feature-length play Melody Neglected, developed through Roles 4 Women's 2008 Script Development Workshops, has now been accepted as part of Resource Center for the Arts Theatre Company's Write On developmental process. Melody Neglected features a large cast with many roles for women and for young people. The workshop is being led by illustrious and most excellent Newfoundland writer and playwright Edward Riche. Other participating playwrights are: Meghan Coles, Nicole Rousseau and Rory Lambert. Stay tuned for more news on Melody Neglected.

about the play:
Melody Neglected is in crisis. Her once thriving performance art career has long been destroyed by the tourist trade dinner theatre and she has just been sentenced to 15 days in jail for a botched act of animal rights activism. Upon release she returns to her teenage daughter and, with the support of her friends, quests for a new direction.

World Theatre Day in Virtual Space

2009-03-27T07:07:00.001-07:00

Liz Solo and Jen Skywalker would like to wish everyone a Happy World Theatre Day! Today also marks the Fourth Anniversary for Roles 4 Women.

As a special WTD project Liz and Jen will be disseminating the World Theatre Day message all day in virtual space - in particular the online environments of Second Life.

Read the World Theatre Day Message by Augusto Boal here:
World Theatre Day Message

Liz and Jen create a tableau from "Romeo and Juliet"

Liz and Jen make a toast to World Theatre Day.

Here Liz and Jen do a stand-up/slapstick routine at the virtual Ship Pub.

Experiments In Performance at The Ship Pub

2009-03-20T12:29:00.001-07:00

Liz Solo and Jen Skywalker performing a City Council Report routine live at the Ship Pub during the third "Experiments in Performance" Cabaret. Jenny is still in costume from her presentation of scenes from her play "And As For Her".

photo by Randy Cahill

Solo & Skwalker

2009-03-20T11:53:00.000-07:00

Sharing a laugh after another successful event at The Reject Room in February 2008.

Experiments in Second Life

2009-03-19T15:43:00.000-07:00

Roles 4 Women have been experimenting in online virtual worlds such as Second Life, exploring new concepts and possibilities for performances in virtual space. Images below feature Liz Solo reading from new work simultaneously in Second Life and live at the Reject Room in St. John's.
From Roles 4 Women Experiments in Performance Series, 2008.

a collaboration with the I Am Coop Project

Solo, Coco Love Alcorn & Skywalker @ The Rose & Thistle June '07

2009-03-19T15:40:00.000-07:00

The lovely Coco Love Alcorn improvises with Liz Solo and Jen Skywalker at the Experiments in Performance Little Time Cabaret at the Rose and Thistle. Coco Love also performed a glorious musical set later in the evening.

Solo & Skywalker in Second Life

2009-03-18T16:05:00.000-07:00

Liz Solo rehearses a song for her online release of Alien. Skywalker grooves to the beats on the dance floor. Boogie down ladies!

"from Experiments in Performance Series"

cbtgs

2009-03-17T16:54:00.001-07:00

Liz Solo and Jen Skywalker performing the song "World Theatre Day" during Experiments in Performance at cbtgs, 2007.

Welcome to Roles 4 Women

2009-03-17T16:39:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the blog for Roles 4 Women Theatre Company. Roles 4 Women is a St. John's Newfoundland based Theatre Company devoted to risk-taking and experimentation in live performance. Stay tuned here for news of performances, workshops and calls for submissions.

Roles 4 Women founders Liz Solo and Jen Skywalker are pictured below at one of the "Experiments in Performance" events of 2006. Pictured also is special guest Pinky the Bra, fresh from rehab, serenading Liz and Jen with her version of "The Rose".